“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way – things I had no words for.”

-Georgia O’Keeffe

This quote aptly and unintentionally sums up the basis of art therapy. Art is not only a language that does not depend on words, but it is a language is used to communicate metaverbally (or “beyond words,” according to Bruce Moon). Through creating art and reflecting on the process and/or product, people can increase self awareness, cope with symptoms, relieve stress, enhance their cognitive abilities, experience pleasure, develop interpersonal skills, manage behavior, increase self esteem, and more. In art therapy, the creative process of art making is used to improve and enhance the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of any and all individuals.

The process of creating and the artwork itself can help us understand ourselves and allow us to express things that words alone cannot.